Capture the Flag
by PercyJacksonAlways
Summary: Even after peace had been established between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, the competitive nature of Greeks and Romans never did subside. Naturally, plans were made to have a friendly rivalry challenge against each other in a game of Capture the Flag, with the Greeks on one side while the Romans on the other. Both sides were determined to taste victory. Which side will win?
1. Chapter 1

**So... Nope. I'm not a ghost, or a walking dead. It's really me, and I'm back again with a short story (probably about 3 chapters long). I wrote this because I've got many reviews and PMs asking for a Capture the Flag game between Greeks and Romans. If you're following my other incomplete story 'Fight or Flee', please read the A/N. If not, I just get on with the story :)**

 **A/N for Fight or Flee: I'm really sorry about not updating this crossover in like, forever. But I've kind of lost the momentum with this story, though I may still have ideas for it. So I'll be giving that one a break for quite a long time, until I feel the urge to continue it again. My apologies, I hope that doesn't generate too much hate. I think I've just moved on for a while.**

 **Enjoy!**

In just a short span of two weeks, Camp Half-Blood had changed. Each cabin had doubled in size to cope with the huge population of demigods. Greeks and Romans occasionally 'walked' into each other's camps for a visit, or perhaps to spend time with their friends. Curtesy of the gods, who had agreed that they should keep this connection of friendship, had created two magic portals – one in each camp – which made travelling from Camp Jupiter to Camp Half-Blood _way_ more convenient.

This was good, in a sense that peace had been established between the Greeks and Roman counterparts. But then again, there was bound to be some – no matter how little – 'competition' between the two camps, seeing that there were times when they do not always get along and both camps had some urge to prove to the other that they were better.

Not that it ever went out of hand though. Considering that Octavian was far, far away and _hopefully_ lost for all eternity, it was all good fun.

So one Thursday, just the day before the traditional Capture the Flag game for the Greeks, Reyna stepped up to give a suggestion.

"Why not play Greeks against Romans? It'll have a much bigger scale, and besides, the Romans could try what 'Capture the Flag' feels like. We Romans have only played war games in our camp." Reyna said, her purple praetor robes billowing in the evening wind.

Simple suggestion. There couldn't have been any underlying meaning, could there? Besides, Reyna was a sensible person.

Chiron agreed without much hesitation. And the news of this 'competition' spread like wildfire. In no more than two minutes, everyone could notice the change in atmosphere. Excitement bubbled in the air. The Romans disappeared back into the portal to return to Camp Jupiter to inform the rest of the Romans of this news, and to prepare their weapons for tomorrow.

The Greeks, on the other hand, were seen gathering their weapons. Annabeth, the unelected strategy leader, was found sitting outside her cabin, making plans and pouring over layouts of the Camp's forest.

Percy, having given up on accompanying Annabeth on staring at sheets of paper, had taken it upon himself to conduct an immediate sword fighting class in the training arena to overwhelming response. Clarisse was there too, giving a violent and very brutal demonstration on how to wield a spear.

Leo? That guy was nowhere to be seen. The last time anyone had spotted him was when he stepped into the Hephaestus cabin, clutching a draft of his new innovation with a wide grin etched on his face.

Jason was allowed one last goodbye to Piper before the Greeks shepherded him into the portal along with the other Romans, so that they would not overhear their plans.

Miraculously, and luckily for all of them, they managed to scramble back into their respective cabins before the harpies went for their midnight patrol.

* * *

Friday morning dawned upon Camp Half-Blood. The sun had barely risen, and only a reddish glow in the dark sky could be seen. On other days, most campers would either be asleep, or still getting ready in their respective cabins. However, this was no ordinary day. It was a morning of the weekly Capture the Flag game, plus the fact that this time, the demigods of Camp Jupiter were going to play against them.

So the wee hours of the morning found the entre Camp Half-Blood population – including the children of Aphrodite – distributing their various roles for the game.

"Ares and Hermes will lead the front line attack." Annabeth announced. "You guys engage in battle and create as much chaos as possible. Try to focus the opponent's attention on you."

Annabeth stood at the front of the amphitheater while the rest of the campers assembled around her.

"Hermes cabin will sneak around from the outskirts of the forest, and you guys will keep a lookout on the Roman's base. Make sure no Roman spy gets to our side unnoticed." Annabeth continued.

The Hermes campers nodded in agreement. Sneaking around in all stealth and secrecy was something they could handle with no problem.

"Now," commanded Annabeth. "The Hephaestus cabin will follow them and make sure the traps are not deactivated. Apollo cabin will hide around our base and do the defense and snipe on anyone who's coming to get our flag."

Nods from the golden haired guys in the crowd told Annabeth that they understood what they were tasked to do.

"The rest of you, will be led by Percy for the attack team," said Annabeth. "Clear?"

Another round of collective nods and murmurs were heard, which concluded the meeting.

Percy stood up suddenly, standing at the front of all the Campers. Uncapping Riptide, which sprang immediately into a celestial bronze sword, he raised it high above his head. Everyone turned their attention to him.

"Let us show those Romans what we're made of! Tonight! We will have victory over the Romans! No one will best us in our own game! Tonight we fight for victory! For the Greeks! And for Camp Half-Blood!"

The entire amphitheater erupted with a war cry as every camper got to their feet, punching their fists in the air and shouting something eligible back. The adrenaline was multiplied tenfold as they screamed for victory.

Then Hephaestus kids were the first to stream out of the amphitheater, having muttered something about needing to set up traps in the forest grounds.

Percy scanned the sea of heads, hoping to find a particular son of Hephaestus. He'd seen Leo just moments ago, but when he got up to walk over to him, that guy had manage to vanish into thin air.

"Leo?" Percy called.

The last Hephaestus kid turned around to look at him. "Leo said he needed to do some last minute tinkering. He dashed off to the bunker just seconds ago."

Percy sighed. He wanted to ask Leo about the new idea he'd got just yesterday. Leo had said that it could help their team for Capture the Flag, but never really elaborated on it. Perhaps he'd find him later in the day.

* * *

The Romans bustled about around the weaponry, sharpening their swords and polishing their imperial gold armor. Every camper had a determined expression etched upon their faces; the anticipation of the game, the will to win. On top of that, the 'rival' part of them wanted to prove to the Greeks that they were better.

Meanwhile, the centurion leaders of the five cohorts were summoned for a discussion. The praetors – Reyna and Frank – were giving orders on the position of their troops. Everything, such as the forest slopes and possible hideouts was taken into consideration. Frank, who had a little more experience on the way the Greeks worked, looked into the flaws of their plans.

Only after two full hours did was the plan finalized, and every Roman camper was called to the senate building for a briefing.

A large map was laid out on the table, sitting right in the middle of the room. Red markings and scribbles filled the layout, showing the position of each cohort and their role.

Reyna stood a little to the side, and crossed her arms, waiting for the campers streaming into the building.

"First and Second Cohorts you will march as far as the borders of our side of the forest. You will make sure no Greeks cross the line without a fight. Hold your side, and make sure nobody passes." Reyna shouted.

"Yes, Reyna." They chorused at once.

"Good. The Third, Fourth and Fifth cohorts will work together. I want you to divide your troops. Make sure there is sufficient defending guards stationed around our flag. I need a few people to scout at the left and right flanks, just in case those Greeks try to sneak around the sidelines."

Some nods went around.

Frank walked to the front and took over, "I will lead the last group of campers. We will lead the attack in small groups, and converge in on the flag from all sides. Camp Half-Blood will have their defenses tested to the limits. They cannot fight a battle on two sides. I would assume most of their campers are too far away to provide enough backup. That's when we grab their flag and head back."

A roar of approval rang throughout the building. The spirits of the Romans soared sky high as they looked forward to the victory that will be well earned.

But Frank added, "Now, please just remember that this is a game, and no maiming or killing is allowed. It should be no problem since Octavian is gone. One more thing you should note. Those Greeks may seem unorganized in their attack. But I for one, know that underestimating them will be our biggest mistake."

The Romans nodded. They had all seen the fighting style of the Greeks when they fought side by side with each other in the Giant War.

Then as one, the romans got to their feet. Reyna drew herself to her fullest height, and shouted, "This evening, the Greeks will fall! They will taste defeat! Victory for Camp Jupiter!"

 **And with that, you've just read the start of a friendly rivalry battle of Greeks vs Romans. I have thought how things will turn out, an which group will win ;)**

 **Lastly, please leave a review on this chapter! Thank you :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I know it's been like...four months. But life's been busy. No other reason.**

 **Hope you like this :)**

Apollo was making his final round in his sun chariot. The bright, yellow orb dipped ever closer to the horizon, casting a reddish glow in the sky and the shadows in Camp Half-Blood's forest grew steadily longer. The forest was now darker, gloomier, and would have given any outsider a chill down the spine. Any mortal, assuming they could somehow see the forest, would have been wise to stay as far away from there as possible.

Yet for the demigods, Greeks and Romans alike, they were gathered at the outskirts of the forest. The Greeks were taking the side of Zeus's fist, and the campers were huddled in a very disordered manner, talking under hushed voices and making last minute finalization to their plans.

The Romans, on the other hand, were doing just the opposite. They stood neatly in rows and columns, in their respective cohorts. Some wielded spears, while others grasps shields and swords. Their imperial gold weapons glistened in the dying light, as they stood in attention. Leading the Romans were Frank and Reyna, both of them looked fierce and battle ready.

In between the two forces of Greeks and Romans was a white stallion. A centaur – Chiron. He trotted side to side.

"Greeks will take the southern part of the forest. For the Romans, the northern half is all yours." Chiron announced. "No maiming and no killing is allowed, it will result in disqualification of your team."

A silent pause was heard as Chiron let the words sink in.

"Alright. You all have fifteen minutes to get into position on your respective sides before the game begins.

As one, the Roman troops turned and strode off, still managing to keep in their neat rows. The Greeks scurried off in an unorderly crowd.

* * *

Nico wasn't about to caught in a rowdy and cheerful game of Capture the Flag. So he kept his distance from the forest, where every other camper had entered and were about to start the game.

No. Nico had much better things to do. He sought for solace in his dark cabin, thinking of the most random things, such as how to drape sheets in his cabin in a way to shut out all the light.

Anyway, he certainly was not going to join in the soon-to-be raging battle in the forest grounds of Camp-Half-Blood. He was so determined not to leave his cabin, that under almost every other circumstance, no one could persuade him otherwise.

But Chiron seemed to have foreseen exactly what Nico had planned to do. The centaur stalked up into his cabin, and suggested that he be the impartial judge. He'd been to both camps, and he liked both the Greek and Roman counterparts equally. Of course, so did Percy and Jason, but they still sided a tad more to their Greek and Roman sides respectively.

So, darn it, Nico thought. Besides, he could do with being a judge. Shadow-travelling around various parts of the forest was fairly easy in the lengthening shadows. And he could do that without setting off traps that each team was bound to have placed.

* * *

The Hermes campers were surprised to find that the sidelines of the forest was strongly guarded by Roman warriors. The Romans were standing in orderly rows, with their polished shields and swords at the ready. However, they were not attacking, or even attempting to cross the borders. But still, one question remains - how could the Romans have guessed that they would sneak in from the edges of the forest?

Gods, even with their exceptional ability to travel in discretion, this was going to be tough.

Why on Gaia, would the Romans think that we Greeks are planning a sneak attack?

Luckily, Leo had decided to follow them. And on the plus side, he had upgraded his Archimedes sphere so that it contained a few more functions.

While the Hermes campers stuck to the plan, hiding behind trees, and crouching in bushes, Leo walked on in plain sight, as though he was taking a casual stroll under the gloomy canopy. Surprisingly, none of the Roman's gave the slightest sign that Leo was trespassing into 'Roman' territory. They were just waiting.

Leo's eyes darted from side to side, scanning for possible traps on the sides of trees and on the ground. He suspected that the Romans have a good reason for being stationery. Feeling insecure, he chanced a glance just to check that there was no traps placed above his head either.

Nope. Nothing.

All looks safe.

Leo was starting to wonder why the Romans were acting so strangely, when a tall, blond guy thumbing a large gold coin in his hand, casually pushed past the Roman soldiers to block Leo's path.

"Sorry, dude, can't go there." Jason said, holding out his arms to block Leo from walking any further.

Of course, all at once, the Hermes kids realized that Jason was the reason the forest borders were so heavily guarded. They had expected it.

Only Jason knew the Greeks _that_ well. And he must have given a lecture to all the Roman's on what to look out for.

"Oh, c'mon buddy. I would really appreciate if you guys let me through." Leo said, putting hands together which was regarded as 'praying', and also giving a small bow of his own.

"Nuh – uh. Can't do that." Jason said, his hands still firmly outstretched. "No trespassing into our side of the forest is allowed."

Leo slipped his right hand into one of the back pockets of his toolbelt. _So this was how Jason wanted it to play out huh?_

Feigning a look of sulkiness, Leo said, "Pretty please? I'm really busy right now. I've got some big business to do. If you'd let me, I'd just go in there, grab that blue flag, and I promise I'll be back in no time."

A smile was threatening to spill from Jason's lips, but he managed to keep on a straight face.

"Too bad. Authorized personal only. And it happens that you're not one of them." Jason replied casually, getting ready to flip the coin when the time came.

Soon, Jason knew, there was going to be an all-out war.

And sure enough, faster than Jason's eye could see, Leo had clenched his fingers around the Archimedes sphere, pulled it out of his toolbelt, and threw it on the ground.

Black smoke. So much of it, fumed out of the little sphere. More and more, forcing itself out of the round object, and it less than 2 seconds, the smoke had thickened and multiplied exponentially, blanketing the portion of the grounds in thick black gas.

The Romans were left stumbling around with a line of sight of no more than half a meter. Their swords were of no use against an invisible enemy, and they dispersed out, trying to get out of the black darkness.

Jason shouted an order which sounded very much like "find them!" under the sound of people tripping and falling over on one another.

The smoke was thinning now, and gradually, the Romans regained their sight and righted themselves. Their eyes fell on Leo, who was still standing where he was before the smoky disaster.

"Whoops-a-daisy." Leo smiled, "I was a little clumsy on that. But good meeting you guys, I'll be off right now."

The son of Hephaestus scrambled back down the route in which he came from, heading for the Greek's base.

"Hold your ground!" Jason said. "I want half of these troops to get back to base quickly! Alert the Fifth Cohort that we have intruders! Fortify the area around the flag!"

A bunch of Romans hurried back.

"Rest of you, carry on with the plan. I'm going to keep watch on the flag."

They left, each of them with a certain task to do. And this area of the forest was now peaceful again. The Hermes campers had long disappeared during the diversion, and were probably deep into the Roman grounds.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the epicenter of the forest, where the Blue and Red team converged along a creek, a full battalion raged on.

Celestial Bronze swords clanged each time they were parried by those of Imperial Gold. Shields were splintered in attempt to block heavy blows. Spears clattered to the floor when they were deflected with such impact. The air was filled with sounds of singing bows.

The First and Second Cohorts were trying to keep to their orderly style of fighting, but the Greeks were pushing them hard. The Ares Cabin were seeping through their ranks, striking up a fight with any Roman in close proximity.

Yet even in all these utter chaos, one particular fight was the most eye-opening of them all. A little to the right, just within the borders of the Romans, were three demigods. Percy was engaged in a multiple fight with both Frank and Hazel.

Though Percy was trying to defend and attack at the same time, in a blur of blades and spears, he was trying his best to inch forward deeper into roman territory. Step by step, he attempted to push both Frank and Hazel back by shear force as he kept the pair busy with his blows. But though he did manage to move forward by a little, it wasn't much progress to be proud of. Frank and Hazel were an equal match, and the couple knew each other so well, that they worked together as one, doubling on their attack.

It was as if Hazel and Frank knew exactly what the other was thinking. They worked seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine, and together, they were unstoppable. Besides, Hazel was now an expert at wielding the Mist. And she knew exactly how to manipulate it to her advantage. She poured some of her concentration into shaping her thoughts, willing them to take up forms using the Mist. And just like that, Hazel had created two humanoid illusions – a duplicate of Frank and herself – and controlled them so that they looked like they were attacking Percy too.

Of course, Percy knew that Hazel was working her magic. Otherwise, how could he ever explain why there were two Franks and two Hazels advancing on him? But knowing that two of them were imaginary duplicates did not do anything to help Percy. So what if he knew that the fakes couldn't hurt him? He was confused on who was the real Hazel and Frank, and so, he was forced to parry and block all blows from his opponents. That sure complicated things.

The only reason why he was still alive was because of the miniature hurricane he was creating. It sort of caused a distraction to Hazel due to the twigs and leaves obscuring her vision and lashing at her face.

In short, it was a stalemate. As far as Percy could see, there was no way anyone could get into the Roman's territory from the center frontier.

Maybe if the Hermes Cabin had managed to sneak in undetected and just grabbed the flag…

A clear shout wafted in from the side of the Greeks, making Percy's blood turn cold.

"Reyna, I said, _drop_ it!"

Even though those words were not addressed at him, Percy had this urge to drop his sword. And immediately, he knew who that voice belonged to.

Piper.

And she was one of those people guarding the flag.

He cursed, and in that moment's loss of concentration, he'd forgotten all about Hazel and Frank, and barely missed being poked by Frank's spear.

Although he really felt like running off to find Reyna, he knew that Piper should be able to handle that much on her own. Besides, Annabeth was in that area too.

* * *

Jason sped down the right flank of the forest. The Romans had managed to penetrate the Greek's defenses and captured a fair few of their opponents, who were shepherded back to 'jail'. Reyna had led that battalion and had gone into the Greek's side a couple of minutes ago.

He ensured that he had enough cover as he lightly treaded carefully to their base.

Before he had even reached there, however, he noticed Reyna climbing down a short cliff which the Greeks called 'Zeus's Fist', with a red flag clutched in her right hand. She was about to reach the ground, when Piper appeared out of nowhere, armed with her knife, Katoptris.

"This is my last warning, Reyna. _Drop it_!" Piper said, raising her voice.

 **Review? Please?**

 **Also, thanks for the countless number of reviews by you guys. It's been quite a support!**

 **The next chapter should be the last one in this story. Until next time :)**


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